All Arround MTB

SO GOOD They may look like ‘disco slipper’ XC shoes but the MTB Teams are trail ready and easy to live with. Markings on the sole make cleat alignment a snap, the outsole grips well in mud, and they’re just 401g per shoe (size 46). The footbed provides comfy support and the metatarsal button and arch support can be removed to tailor the fit.

At just 270g , the WIT is well suited to cross-country whippets and those who like to spend hours in the saddle. The deep internal channelling and 23 vents mean overheating is never an issue, with masses of airflow even at slow speeds.

At first glance there isn’t much to this jacket: a single pocket, a simple hood, and no vents or stretch panels. However, it did impress with its water resistance as it was surprisingly impervious to the elements in the field.

SO GOOD Scott's 3L DRYOsphere fabric does a great job of keeping the rain out without feeling clammy on the inside when you're pedalling hard.

SPLASHING 160$ on a pair of shorts may seem like a silly idea, but the Minds from Scott really justify the price tag.

Scott’s long-standing freeride specialist, the Voltage – a bike that’s been many a rider’s first proper gravity machine – has received a major makeover for 2015. Like the Gambler, it’s now set up for 650b wheels, though you can run 26in too. But the biggest upgrades are improved stiffness and durability, more predictable suspension performance and the high level of adjustability we’ve come to expect from Scott.

Scott have updated their World Cup DH bike for 2015. The new Gambler retains the progressive Floating Link suspension design introduced on the 2013 version and the only obvious difference, other than new colours, is the introduction of 650b wheels. But the geometry has also been tweaked to increase the reach and improve handling, and the suspension kinematics have been refined to optimise performance with Fox’s latest DHX RC4 shock.

SCOTT HAVE A reputation for using great fabrics in their clothing and happily the Mind 20 is no exception. The jersey is very light, with a weightless, barely-there feeling on the skin, making it extremely comfortable when the going gets hot and sticky.

T he Scott Scale is a no-holds-barred XC bike with race-bred DNA coursing through its tubes. But how well does the performance of the high-end carbon models trickle down to the cheaper end of the pricing spectrum? We hit the trails on the alloy Scale 770 to find out.